Bass and Weather

Though the weather swirls around us constantly while we're fishing, we anglers often fail to identify the details of the conditions that can help us find and catch more bass. Yet, if we keep a weather eye on the sky, we can often adapt our tackle and tactics to increase our catch rates significantly. The following information summarizes the sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle changes in the weather, how these change affect fish, and how we should adapt our tactics and locations to the changing patterns.

WARM FRONTS. Identification: 1. These are the edges of slow moving masses of warm air. 2. Weather does not change quickly, but often brings thickening clouds and rain. 3. Barometric pressure stabilizes and drops slowly. 4. Temperatures rise slowly as warm air pushes aside cold air. 5. Bad weather that arrives is not usually severe, as it's more likely to be a light dizzle or rain than a hard downpour. 6. Bad weather takes longer to leave. Bass Activity: 1.The most active feeding periods. 2. Bass will be persuing a wide variety of forage. 3. Fish will be widely dispersed and moving throughout feeding areas. Where To Fish: 1. Wherever forage holds. 2. Largemouths will likely to be in weedy, shallow cover, but are also apt to be moving through it. In the early season, look for fresh bloom of water plants in south facing bays and shallows. Later, find submerged weed beds, midlake humps and the like. Don't ignore shallow hard structure such as brush, logs, piers and so on. Effective Tactics: 1. Nearly any lure can be effective, but if possible, match it to water conditions and typical forage. 2. For largemouths in weedy cover, use weedless plastic worms, jigs, leeches, buzzbaits and so on. 3. For smallmouths, use crankbaits, crawfish imitating soft and hard baits, mid to deep running crankbaits, and so on.

COLD FRONTS. Identification: 1. These are the edges of masses of cold air that push in and under warm air. 2. This is severe but short lived weather, characterized by hard, fast moving thunderstorms followed by clear skies and dropping temperatures. 3. Barometric pressure will fluctuate rapidly, then rise dramatically as high pressure builds. Bass Activity: 1. Bass will move away from standard feeding stations, usually to deeper water and submerged cover. 2. Activity can be varied as the weather, from short feeding binges to liplocked activity. Where To Fish: 1.Transition areas where bass are moving back and forth between feeding areas and deeper cover and structure. 2. Pronounced transition areas include channels between coves and islands, old river beds, and manmade structures such as underwater railroad beds. 3. Subtle transition zones include areas between shallow weed beds and submerged weed lines, or along the side of sloping points of land. Effective Tactics: 1. Use searching and attracting lures such as rattling crankbaits and bright, big spinnerbaits. 2. Once bass are located, cover transition areas thoroughly with slow moving jigs or plastic worms, and switch to big, bright spoons, spinners, and crankbaits.

LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS. Identification: 1. Air circulates in a counterclockwise direction. 2. Air is gathered from closer to the ground, and is thus warmer and usually more moisture laden. 3. Air rises and intensifies the moisture, forming clouds and causing rain. 4. Cloud cover prevents radiational cooling, and temperatures don't fall. Instead, they generally remain the same or rise. 5. Steady rain causes some air cooling. Bass Activity: 1. Bass remain actively feeding. 2. Fish are well dispersed throughout their feeding areas. 3. Activity is similar to that experienced when there is an approaching warm front, but bass are more widely dispersed and roam about less. Where To Fish: 1. Largemouths are more into ambushing prey, and they will be found throughout good forage areas. 2. Look to the shallows and weeds early in the season, and to deeper sructure such as weed lines and submerged weed beds later in the season. 3. Smallmouths will be moving less, too, but will be found in their preferred hard structure areas where forage is plentiful. Effective Tactics: 1. Use searching lures, and cover a lot of water. Feeding fish won't be as concentrated. 2. Use plastic worms, lizards, and so on in weeds. On weed edges and submerged weed lines, use deeper running stickbaits and crankbaits. Buzzbaits can be deadly. 3. For smallmouths, match the colors to water tint, such as earthy tones for teastained water and florescents, silvers and blues for clear water.

HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEMS. Identification: 1. Air circulates in a clockwise direction. 2. High pressure is literally a high stack of dense air that pushes down and out from the high pressure center. 3. Little moisture accumulates, and there are few clouds. Also called a bluebird day. 4. The weather is beautiful, and the barometric pressure is high. 5. Temperatures tend to fall because air from high altitude is cold and is pushed down to ground level. Lack of cloud cover causes radiational cooling at night. Bass Activity: 1. Bass metabolisms tend to slow, both because of colder temperatures and, some feel , because of internal discomfort from the high pressure. 2. Bass move to deeper water, or suspend. 3. In spring can postpone spawn and push fish back into staging areas. Where To Fish: 1. Pre spawn drop offs adjacent to feeding areas. 2. Transition areas, such as the nearest comfortable deep water structure. ( The fish aren't leaving for the long term, just until the next warm front passes through. ) Effective Tactics: 1. Use big, slow, deep running lures. 2. Use lighter tackle and line. 3. Go slow and be thorough. Coax the fish into striking. 4. Work big baits and lures, such as plastic worms, jigs, and sinking crankbaits, through holding cover.